Propelling apparatus.



v.15. ANDERSON. PROPELLING APPARATUS} APPLICATION FILED MAY 7- I917.

Patehted July 2, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET L- V. G. ANDERSON.

PROPELLING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 1. m1.

Patented J lily 2, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SH T 3.

Vhwf; WZ$QW t i {the forward movement of .the shdmg frame I UNITED STATESAPATENT OFFICE.

1 vmonn'r GJNnERson, or THIEF Rive-R FALLS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR r a i FREDERICK c. AUSTIN, or CHICAGO, rumors.

PROPELLING APPARATUS.

Wares-J r "7 a all whom itmag/ concern:

Beit knownthat I, VINCENT G, ANDER- soN, a citizen of the United States of Amer- "ica, and residentof Thief River Falls, Pen- "nington county, Minnesota, have invented a certain new and usefullImprovement in Propelling A paratus, of which thefollowing is a speci cation. n

My invention relates to propelling apparatus' ofthat kind in which a heavy body, such as tliatof an ordinary excavating machine, is pulled forward, in an intermittent orstep by stepmanner, by artially raising thebody ,on a frame whic slides on the ground, so that the body moves forward while the weight thereof, atleast in part, is sustained by rollers suitably supported on said frame, andiwhereby the body and frame alternately moveforward, th sliding frame being pulled forward while the body is stationary and resting on the ground.

Generally stated,,the object of my invention is'to provide a 'novel and improved propelli g apparatus of the fo'i'egoing general character H I a a A special object is toprovide an improved construction and arrangement whereby a pull of the cable, when the excavator or lotherjheav'y body isjmoved forward, will be n sliding frame, when the latter is to be moved forward, will bef raised to some extent, so

of the excavator or fother body.

communicated directly to the base of the sliding; frame, after the body is slightly raisedftherebyto reduce the strain on certain other parts ofthe apparatus.

Another object to provide an improved constructionand arrangement whereby the airtime weightfof this sliding frame, at least in part,' willbe sustained by the excavat-oi or other heavy body, thus facilitating preliminary to anothe forward movement -';;n is;;i 1ss an "objectto provide certain 'details and features of construction and 1 combinations tend ng to increase the general I efficiency of a propelling apparatus fl(commonly referredto a'sa walking structure) of this'particular character;

I 'loithe foregoing and otherhsefulfends, invention consists" in matters hereinafter set forth nd laim i th c mp ny sd a gs;

[Figurelf's a side elevation of a propelling a parat e o yi the p n p my.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2,1918.

Application filed may 7, 1917. Serial No. 167,052.

invention, showing the condition of the apparatus immediately after the forward movement ofthe sliding frame.

Fig. 2 is a similar View, but showing the condition of .jthe apparatus immediately moved.

Fig. 3 is a plan of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the hoisting mechanism by which. the heav body is raised a distance above the groun or enough to shift the weight thereof onto the slidin frame, showing the parts in the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 in Fig. 4.

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises an excavator-body-frame A of any suitable character, the excavating apparatus being 7 omitted for convenience of illustration. This body isprovided with front and rear shoes or sled-runners B and C, one at eachcorner of the rectangularframe (see Fig. 3), and it is upon these that the body slides forward upon the ground.

The sliding frame D (there'are two of these sliding framesone at each side of the excavator) comprises the front and rear uprights 1 and 2, which are inclined to bring their upper ends together, and are mounted upon a shoe or sled-runner (Z wwhich slides on the ground. The uprights 1 and '2 slide forward in a horizontal guideway E (one at each side of the excavator) provided in the side of the body-frame A, whereby the sliding frame is held upright. A carrier F slides up and down on each frame D, this carrier being provided with supporting rollers f whlch engage the under side of the bodyframe A, to support the latter, and with a roller 3 which engages the forwardside of the upright 2, in a manner :thatwill be readily understood. The

rear end of the carrier F is provided with a sheave 4, and a cable 5 passes under this sheave and upward and over the sheave 6, which latter is mounted on the rear end of a lever 7 which ispivoted at Supon the upright'2, a pivoted link 9 connecting the forward end of this lever with the front end of the carrier F, whereby said lever is operative to raisesaid carrier when a pull is exerted on said cable. For this purpose, it will-be seen, the cable 5 has one end sccured to the ring 10' and its other-end se- Cured. .E QI 29113; i P VOfQQ fi me 1 which;

swings on the axis of@the;-s heav,e;-L, whereby .the carrier F is not only raised by the link 9, but also by the cable 5 whenith'e ring is pulled toward the rear :end' of the excavator; "fiAs cahle ll-hasone endesecuredito the ring 10, and then extends rearward and around the sheave 13 on'the rearend 'ofthe ,excavatorehody, then across and around the sheave 14 on said body frjaine; thenarounfd r the" sheave '15, around a sheave 11'6 "on the gbody fra ne, around another sheave '17 on 7 fit thebody{frame, (the sheaves I3 and are jrnountedat the opposite rearic orners of'the body-frame), and the other end of ithls the cable112 rforn s a connecting link between thetwo slidihgffralnes. Th'e,- ,shea e 1 5 is inounted on a block 1'9 and, the latter is pro y-ided with a sheave "for the operating cable 21Q' t-he utt r having one endsecurefd to; the body-frame at22 and having its otheruend-"portion wound on the druin 23, whereby rotati n Ofi'this drun1' will tighten -.the cable 21 and' cause a tightening ofj the '12; the sheave 15 acting as; an equalizing dev ic iso that the pull; on the eah'leflz .will be communicated equally to the two 'slidingjfralnes. The cable 12 is provided .jwithfavhit'ch QleXtend-ing from' the ring "10' to the eye' -bolt j25 ,atthe base 'of theifratne D, and the rin'gF18has a sim'ilarhitjch 'to the other sliding'frame, it being understood ithatthe two 'slidingv frarnes and the apparatus thereofare exactly alike; ,The fshoe or runner d offthe sliding frameisfproyidedi on its under side with beveled teeth 126 which: permit the runner to slide readily forward one the ground, but which out i into the gr ound arid prevent f backward inofyement of said-runner. Whenthe cable l2is 1 tightened, the pull exerted on the 7 cable 5, and" the corresponding cable at the other 7 side f thefexc'ayator; causesthef'earrier F j to rise,thusifliftingthelforward portion of V 50 the fb'odyj-frarne 1&, so am "the weight is either entirely or partly removed from the." front runners" B, leaving onlyjthe rear [end of the 'bddy fresting 1 -rgro n'd Th op ration f the is i125,

forw'arfd is ul mately exerted directly on th'i'e' two sliding 1 frames at the base thereof.

In this way, the initial pullon the cable is forward.

85 ,ggwm, and which isthengsee l ldto thering c 1'29, which "latter isial'so' connected by a short 3 h itch 3QfWitl1 theveye-ho'ltf'3l secured-in the Lfitti'nlgBQ by which the uprightfl is'i-s'ecu're'd 'to the'runner at small: sheave 32 beingwo 4 mounted on saidjqfitti'n to support the'jcahle j 7;i -iaE annef a f a der- 1 I stoodfi A catlegseiisa taci hed'jto' the r1ngs l29,

at oppositeT'si-des of fthe excavator, andex tends around thee-sheaves l 34cfanfdi35 at the 5; front cornersfof"thejhody frame (A, round two sheaves 336. at the front. Oif the bodyfra-ine, and around 'TthJe; shea ye 37 near" the center of thebody-frame, whereby tightenin ef th abl .33 il e a fiorward'g p 'ionithe'ningsflg;res "ngin' adiftingjofthe 'slidingj'frames"D,'fo' wed jy aystr'aightening-ho'ut .or'taki n'g-iup "fifth V lackfo f" thetW-O hitches '30, whereby thel-atter. then exert v v direct forwardpull on, e rontendsoffthe'iw shoes or runners d fther, y,t0'; I

forward atja gt'ir'new hentheiweight'o the ;two frames Dds. sup.ported,,'to.someleiitent at i a least; by the bodygfra nefdf "the excayator. r The sheav 3111's i nmintejd on" a iblohk g38 prQ lided with 'sheaye, 39,, and, a; cabl 40 Z has' fone elidF o hi i I ereof. secured fdesired Im ner" g t-arrangement, ere fore, he-tighten ng f t c l .pfi ljthe i fIV I QSTD, forwaiid,;'prel na'ry to" another beer-it ms As 7 1 I- xW he "the" forward niovernen made, eases lnaqte t vh b dy-fram JAZInW s f fi d, l

Fed the ranaesQD5 20 wl eitmt at leas i l and wherr the frainesD' move" 'forwaid they mc i it theater I are supported more or less by the body-frame A, the carriers F serving in both cases to transfer at least some of the weight from the moving structure to the stationary structure, so that the two structures take turns at supporting each other and moving forward. By this is meant, of course, that at least some of the weight of the moving structure is sustained by the stationary structure, at least enough to very materially reduce the direct pressure of the moving structure on the ground; and, if desired, the apparatus can be arran ed and operated to lift either structure entirely 03 the ground while it is moving forward.

Thus the propelling apparatus, like others of this general type, has a sort of walking motion when in action as the main bodyframe and the sliding frames take turns at moving ahead, and each structure while moving ahead is supported more or less by the other, through the medium of the carriers F, the latter sliding on the guides E when they support the frames D, and the guides E sliding forward in the carriers F when the main body-frame A moves forward.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a propelling apparatus in which a main frame and an auxiliary frame alternately move forward, instrumentalities supported by the auxiliary frame to lift the main frame, when it is desired to move the main frame forward, and means connected with the auxiliaryframe adjacent to the base thereof for exerting a backward pull thereon when said instrumentalities are operated to pull the main frame forward.

2. The said structure, as specified in claim 1, in which said means includes a flexible eomiection which is slack during the initial operation of said instrumentalities, but which connection is straightened out and tightened by the tension of said operation.

3. The said structure, as specified in claim 1, in which said instrumentalities include an operating cable-extending forward from the rear portion of the main frame, and in which said means includes a flexible hitch between said cable and the auxiliary frame.

4. The said structure, as specified in claim 1, in which said instrumentalities comprise a carrier in which the main frame slides forward, a cable and sheaves arranged to support said carrier on the auxiliary frame, and in which said means includes a hitch to said cable.

5. The said structure, as specified in claim 1, in which said instrumentalities comprise a tilting lever pivoted on the auxiliary frame, a sheave on one end of said lever, a

carrier in which the main frame slides for ward, a sheave on said carrier, an operatin cable arranged on said sheaves, and a lifmg connection between said carrier and the other end of said lever.

6. In a propelling apparatus in which a main frame and an auxiliary frame alternately move forward, instrumentalities supported by the auxiliary frame to lift the main frame, when it is desired to move the main frame forward, and means connected with said instrumentalities to lift the auxiliary frame, while the main frame is standing still, so that the auxiliary frame will move forward with more or less of the weight thereof imposed on the main frame.

7. The said structure, as specified in claim 6, in which said instrumentalities comprise a carrier on which the main frame slides forward, with devicesto support the carrier on the auxiliary frame, and in which said means include a sheave on the base of said auxiliary frame, an operating connection extending rearward and under said sheave and upward to said carrier, so that a forward pull on said connection serves to lift the auxiliary frame, and a hitch between said connection and the auxiliary frame, whereby the initial operation of said connection to lift the auxiliary frame is followed by a direct forward pull thereon.

8. The said structure, as specified in claim 6, in which said means include a connection for exerting a forward pull on the base of said auxiliary frame, and a connection to exert an upward pull on said auxiliary frame. 7

9. In a propelling apparatus in which a main frame and an auxiliary frame alternately move forward, instrumentalities supported by the auxiliary frame to lift the main frame, when it is desired to move the main frame forward, comprising a tilting lever pivoted on the auxiliary frame, a sheave on one end of said lever, a carrier in which the main frame slides forward, a sheave on said carrier, an operating cable arranged on said sheaves, and a lifting connection between said carrier and the other end of said lever.

10. The said structure, as specified in claim 6, said instrumentalities comprising a tilting lever pivoted on the auxiliary frame, a sheave on one end of said lever, a carrier in which the main frame slides forward, a sheave on said carrier, an operating cable arranged on said sheaves, and a lifting connection between said carrier and the other end of said lever.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 30th day of April, 1917.

VINCENT G. ANDERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O."

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,270,763, granted July 2, 1918, upon therapplication of Vincent G. Anderson, of Thief River Falls, Minnesota, for an improvement in Propelling Apparatus, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows; Page 1, line 47, after the word efliciency insert the Words and desirability; and that the said' Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 30th day of July, A. D.. 1918.

SEAL R. F. WHITEI-IEAD,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

